Needless No More
by KanaYuzuki
Summary: After the defeat of Arclight a new threat has appeared bringing the gang back together 5 years later! But things are not as they once were. Five years allows for a lot of change and Cruz is no longer the weak kid he once was. He can hold his own with skills matching those of an elite assassin, but something plagues him. He must now turn to his friends for help before he perishes...
1. Together again!

**This is another story i started working on during my classes due to boredom. I had watched this anime and enjoyed it as a whole, BUT was dissatisfied with how weak Cruz's character still was by the end of the series. This fanfiction takes place 5 years after the original anime. I have not read the manga version of this anime so please forgive any inaccuracies you may see, same goes for grammar or misspellings as well, thanks for clicking on my story :D**

"Ahh afternoon, young man. Anything to drink?"

The bartender asked in a gruff yet polite manner. Cruz shook is head though. He had business to attend to. He chose a small table near the back, allowing him to view the entire room with ease. It hadn't even been ten minutes when he heard the door slam open with a loud bang, followed by two very familiar voices.

"No need for those puny glasses; just a full bottle for me, good sir!"

the first voice bellowed. There in the doorway stood a strong built man with sunglasses and jagged coat while wearing a wide grin and a green crystal adorning the middle of his forehead; beside him stood his trusted partner in crime, a well developed girl with an aloof expression across her face. Cruz couldn't help but let out a brief grin, they hadn't changed at all. Slowly he made his way over to them, they were now sitting at the front of the bar on high stools. Before he could say anything the man had already sensed his presence behind them and quickly turned around.

"Well i'll be damned! Eve, look who it is!"

The girl spun around, after her eyes rested on him she leapt up and barreled into him with a hug.

"Yamada!"

After regaining his balance he felt a large hand on his shoulder.

"How you been, kid?"

Cruz smiled again, he truly had missed them.

"I've been alright. I see that you and Eve haven't changed on bit."

He said with a fond look on his face. Blade let out a loud laugh and tilted down his sunglasses as he replied,

"Well being as awesome as I am, why change at all!"

Eve nodded in agreement. Out of excitement she gave Cruz a large slap on the back taking him by surprised causing him to fall forward.

"You ain't the shrimp you used to be, Yamada!"

She said with a smile. Cruz straightened up again and re-adjusted his long jacket he now wore.

"Five years is a long time, i'm nineteen now after all."

He finished with a little bit of pride in his voice. Seeing them, it felt like only yesterday he had been fighting alongside everyone against Arclight, but everyone had gone their separate ways since then, including his beloved sister, Aruka. It had been a long five years.

"So what brought you here to the town of Leos?"

Blade's question snapped him back to the present. Cruz cleared his throat before replying.

"You two, actually."

Both Blade and Eve looked at him curiously now. Eve then stuck out her tongue.

"Aww did you miss us so much, Yamada?"

Cruz gave a light chuckle before continuing.

I've been asking around seeing if people had seen you two, out of all the leads I was given, this one seemed the most likely."

Blade finished chugging the last of his drink and quickly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Well you found us-"

"Yea so spit it out, Yamada!"

Eve interrupted which Blade promptly returned by banging her on the head with the empty bottle in his hand, which she quickly brushed off and returned with a large punch to his face forcing him off his stool. Cruz sighed as they began to wrestle and pick up other bar stools to spar with. Sadly their attention span hadn't changed either. While the chaos grew rather rapidly he calmly turned around to the bartender and asked for a drink of his own. He was already quite used to their attitude even after being away from hem for five years and knew they would eventually get bored of the sport.

After most of the tables were snapped in half and only one window remained unbroken did they finally settle down. Unsurprisingly the bartender demanded they pay for everything they had broken. Eve blankly looked at Blade as he reluctantly set down a the large sum of money on the counter. Conveniently three bar stools still remained, just enough for the three of them to sit back down and continue their previous conversation like nothing happened.

"Now the reason for my being here has to do with the incidents that have been occurring lately. I'm sure you two are well aware of them."

Adam took another large sip from another large drink he had ordered.

"Of course we have. We were asked to investigate since Gido suspects that something is behind these random attacks."

Eve nodded in agreement, but continued ringing so Cruz spoke again.

"Well I have some information that might be helpful. You see I've been investigating too. We already know that each village was destroyed by a mass fire, but actually all of the inhabitants of those villages were infected by some type of virus. The fire was to hide the evidence."

Blade and Eve looked intrigued and skeptical at the same time.

"You sure know a lot, Yamada."

Eve said. Cruz nodded in response.

"After each fire I went back to the villages, already suspecting that it was being used to cover up for something else. I just so happened to have the idea to take blood samples of every other person I could find and found strange similarities between them that shouldn't have existed."

"You've been busy, kid."

Blade added. Cruz was about to respond when the door opened and Eve jumped down off her stool in excitement; running into a man's warm embrace and giving him a big hug. It was Gido.

"All three of you together again?" It reminds me of old times."

Gido said with a warm expression on his face.

"Hey old man!" Cruz found us and told us about the incidents, do you know about them?"

Blade was quick to getting to the point. Gido nodded slowly.

"I'll explain what I know. Another round of drinks though first!"

He replied with a smile. Eve cheered as Blade excitedly began ordering again. Gido smiled.

"I can see that they haven't changed one bit."

He said towards Cruz with an unsurprised grin as he also scanned the rest of the destroyed furniture and windows. Cruz returned his comment with a small nod and smile. Gido sighed and used this chance to pull Cruz aside and talk to him more privately. Gido, like Blade and Eve, were like a family to him, but Gido was also the only one who knew his secret and the only one of their group that he had seen recently in the past five years; and his closeness to Blade and Eve worried him in the back of his mind.

Gido placed a comforting hand on his shoulder seeing through Cruz's forced smile.

"I won't tell them, but you should."

Cruz averted his gaze.

"They don't need to know."

Gido sighed again. "Where is the mark now?"

Cruz used his right arm to pull his left arm closer to his body as if he was protecting it from Gido's concerned stare.

"It hasn't moved in a while."

Gido nodded. "You've grown and changed a lot, Cruz. But that doesn't mean that you need to face this alone either. Stress, whether it be physical or mental, can cause the poison to spread. Telling them might help."

Gido finished hopefully, but Cruz's expression remained unchanged. Gido knew that this was not a subject that Cruz enjoyed talking about. He knew how much Cruz had been through to achieve the hidden strength he now possessed, but this new threat to his body made him feel weak, a feeling he had grown to despise.

"Tell me if it gets any worse, that's all I ask."

Cruz now looked a bit more relaxed knowing that this conversation was coming to an end.

"Don't worry, I will."

**Thanks for reading! and to be continued! Reviews are always appreciated! :)**


	2. Epimetheus

**Thanks for your patience! Huge writers block… so i'm still not so sure how this chapter turned out, but more fun ideas to come! Sorry for any grammar errors in advance! Enjoy :) **

The quad decided to finish their discussion in private. Gido had recently befriended a nearby clerk who now owed him a favor. He decided it was best to borrow one of the unoccupied rooms that had originally been used as a conference room.

Cruz explained how most of the blood samples contained an unknown, powerful steroid-like chemical. But by the looks of it, the cells that made up the unknown solution would clash with the normal blood cells of the victim. They were constantly fighting for control. Cruz then pulled out a blown-up digital photograph of the unknown cells. As soon as Gido saw the picture his eyes widened in surprise, which didn't go unnoticed.

"You recognize these particular cells, Gido?" Blade asked as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Gido nodded and took a deep breath before replying.

"There use to be a rivaling company of Simeon called Epimetheus. They specialized in combining human and animal experiments. Those steroid-like cels were meant to give humans the same capabilities as animals. No survivors though. The process was too painful. It was an idea that many aspired to, but with little success, so they only lasted for five years. Funding stopped; and all those who put so much work into the program went mad trying to keep it running. They managed it for a couple of months, but there was an accident of some sort and the facility was burnt to the ground; no survivors."

Once Gido finished everyone was deep in thought. Cruz was the first to speak.

"That's it? No real reason for the fire?"

Gido shrugged. "No survivors, therefore no explanation."

"Hmm well someone must've survived. Someone with the knowledge of how to inject others." Eve added.

Blade nodded.

"Either that or someone had adopted Epimetheus' ideas as their own." Gido finished gruffly.

Cruz suddenly stood up which startled Eve who was sitting behind him.

"How far are the Epimetheus' headquarters from here, Gido?"

Blade caught on and grinned with a cigarette still clenched between his teeth.

"Going there is asking for trouble. Think you can handle it, kid?"

Gido saw the slightest bit of irritation flicker across Cruz's face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came as he shrugged it off and smiled back at Blade.

"Without any survivors it's the best place to look for leads." he replied simply.

"Heh, well I'm in." Blade bellowed.

"Me too!" Eve cheered.

Gido smiled reassuringly as he pulled a map out of one of his coat pockets and spread it out on the table.

"It's about a two days walk from here." he said as he traced the path with his finger.

Eve and Blade peered over his shoulder to get a closer look.

"Looks like it's mostly flat desert area." Blade proclaimed, almost a little disappointed.

"And that's why we'll make it there in one."

All three looked up at Cruz in surprise, but he seemed unaffected by their stares as he readjusted the collar on the long blue jacket he wore.

"Like Blade said, it's mostly flat desert. It shouldn't take us long to cross."

Blade grinned. "I like your thinking, Cruz! There's no time to waste. Epimetheus is waiting for us!"

**Thanks for reading! i know you all were hoping for a bit more action out of this next chapter, but i had to add some more information about the main threat, I've been thinking hard about how to make this plot stronger and not watered down. So stick around if you wanna catch Aruka!**

**And I try to make it so that almost every name has some sort of meaning. Epimetheus was one of the titans Zeus spared from Tartarus and was put in charge of creating the animals and giving them their qualities :) **


	3. Mira

**Thanks waiting again! This chapter actually wrote itself pretty much. BTW sorry if you see a random update in the same day, sadly it doesn't mean that i've completed another chapter, that normally takes a few days, but instead it's me going back and re-reading over the chapter and seeing small, silly typos that slipped by me the first time. (still trying to get familiar with the editing process on this website) So i apologize for any other grammar/spelling errors in advance :P My hand almost couldn't keep up with my thoughts haha Enjoy! and again thanks for clicking on my story :) **

They walked out of the store with a new resolve as Cruz led the way closely followed by Blade, Eve and then Gido. With the expectation of completing their journey across the barren land in one day they were in need of better transportation other than their legs.

So they asked around and were informed about horse stables at the eve of town in the opposite direction; good thing Leos wasn't a large town.

When they arrived they explained their situation to the owner, excluding the fine details of course. With much reluctance and a negotiation involving a hefty sum of money the stable master agreed to sell three horses for their use.

Because of the lack of money, four horses were too much, so Eve volunteered to ride with Blade.

Cruz and Gido looked at them skeptically, this would definitely pose as a problem later, but with little choice they decided to ignore it for now.

Once the money was exchanged the stable master went to fetch the horses. He handed off the reins to Cruz, Gido and Blade.

They were about to leave when he told them to wait another moment, unless they intended to ride bareback.

He turned his head and called out the name "Mira".

Seconds later a young girl appeared with long brown hair and hazel eyes. The man asked her to go and bring back three saddle and stirrup sets; and without a word she spun on her heels to fulfill the request.

When she was out of earshot Blade elbowed the stable master and smirked.

"Quite a beautiful wife you got there."

The other three rolled their eyes as the man gave him an impatient look.

"She isn't my wife. She is my assistant. Quite curiously she asked to help me only yesterday."

"So she's available then?" Blade asked ignoring most of the man's statement.

"By the sound of it you won't have time for women on your journey."

"HA! you'd be surprised." Blade bellowed back.

Cruz chuckled in reply. It was not unusual for Blade to seem so pigheaded.

Minutes later the girl called Mira reappeared carrying all three saddles.

Cruz rushed over to her.

"Would you like some help?" he smiled warmly.

The girl seemed taken aback at his words, but then nodded slowly.

"hai." she replied in a barely audible meek voice.

Cruz quickly took two of the three saddles from her and waled over to the horses with the others.

Once everything was secured and situated the four of them mounted the horses and nodded their thanks to the stable master and the young girl.

As they galloped away Cruz took one last look behind him and could've sworn he saw the girl's face full of regret, but shrugged it off and waved one last time until they were out of sight.

When the group had been well on their way for a good several minutes the man stretched and let out a long yawn.

"Such strange youngsters… well i'm off to take a catnap. Be sure to feed the horses in an hour."

The girl nodded as he turned and headed into the main house and closed the door.

But she made no effort to move, she waited until a figure emerged from the shadows cast by the pillars holding up the roof over the large porch.

A man in a black hooded cloak walked across the wooden floor planks and towards the door.

"Nice work, Mira. Wanna help me with this guy?"

By the sound of his voice she could tell that he was sneering, it was disgusting.

"Drop dead you bastard." she spat back.

He chuckled and tossed her a cloak matching his own.

"Temper temper." he mockingly sung as if scolding a small child.

She ignored him as she put the cloak on and turned her head, quickly pulling up the hood so she wouldn't see him turn the doorknob and walk into the house.

Mira stood like a stone until painful screams erupted from the house, and winced as they were immediately silenced by a sharp series of cracks, followed by a heavy thud.

She pulled her hood down further over her face as footsteps approached her from the house and stopped right beside her.

"It's always too easy. And not nearly as satisfying as it used to be." He said simply as he tilted his head to the side to crack it.

Mira did her best to keep her voice steady.

"Let's go, Sam; he's waiting."

The man let out a long breath and put his hood back up.

"Always such a killjoy. You're only obedient because he has your sister."

"Shuddup." she hissed back.

And with that they both vanished.

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated :) I'll try to have Aruka make an appearance in the next chapter :P Until next time! **


	4. There's More?

**Thanks for being patient and waiting! it took several drafts to make this chapter; i always had a rough idea of what characters i wanted to make an appearance, but i always ended up switching the events surrounding them :P So, sorry if this one seems a little choppy, i've been doing my best to improve how i depict/write out my action scenes. Hope you find it amusing and enjoyable :) **

When they had finally set off it had already been well past noon, so after several hours of riding it was no surprise when the sun began to set; discouraging their goal of arriving at Epimetheus before the day was over.

They would have no choice but to sleep out in the open, which was not very appealing. In the end they finally agreed to stop for the night, with Cruz concealing how reluctant he really was. The group picked the most suitable and defendable spot they could find, which turned out to be a series of large jagged rocks jutting out from the side, only visible because of erosion.

With the reigns of the three horses all tied together to a large stake it allowed for everyone to relax and sprawl out however they pleased. Not surprisingly Blade had sneaked a bottle of whisky along for the journey and was slurping it noisily while leaning against one of larger rocks that was positioned more vertically than the others. Both Eve and Gido were already fast asleep to the side while Cruz was lying on his back with his arms crossed behind his head staring up at the clear, starless night sky.

After a few minutes had passed the slurping stopped and Blade's voice broke the silence.

"What do you think we'll find tomorrow?"

Cruz shrugged without giving a real response to his question hoping that Blade would drop the subject. He didn't really feel like discussing it and had become accustomed to most of his reasoning taking place only inside head.

"You know, kid… I'm not as dumb as I look. I can sense that you're anticipating something. What do you know that we don't?" Blade said a little more aggressively this time.

Blade had thrown the now empty bottle to the side and had shifted his position so that his bent legs could support his arms. Even with his sunglasses still on Cruz knew that Blade was staring towards his direction. Wanting to quickly appease Blade's curiosity he decided it was best to give a reply.

"I'm just really fascinated by this case. No one has been able to take care of it within the past five years that it has been occurring."

Blade just grunted in response and Cruz felt relieved that it seemed like he was just going to let it go as he heard Blade move into a more comfortable position for sleeping. Cruz knew he wouldn't be able to evade the subject forever, but for as long as possible was preferable.

With such a big day ahead of them he finally allowed himself to nod off into a deep sleep, occasionally shifting his left arm uncomfortably.

The next day they took off towards Epimetheus in the early morning in an attempt to avoid too much heat, with little success. It had only been an hour in when Eve began complaining about the heat and sharing a horse with Blade. It was inevitable and they had seen it coming, but it didn't make it any less annoying.

This continued for a half hour when something small reflecting the bright sun caught their attention; whatever it was it was flying right towards them with furious speed. It was a metal-looking arrow and heading straight for Eve.

"Blade, Eve! Look out!" Cruz yelled over to them.

The change in attitude startled them both, and the horse they were riding on causing it to rear. Luckily the sudden reaction of the horse caused the arrow to miss its intended target and instead pierced the barren ground with a small metal twang.

Cruz quickly dismounted his horse and pulled the arrow out from the ground. The arrow was truly made out of a unique material resembling metal and was cool to the touch; and its length was no longer than his forearm from his wrist to his elbow.

They all looked around rapidly for the threat that had released it. Blade was the first to look behind him and the rest followed.

Behind them on the higher ground was a silhouette of a man in a large cloak. But since they were practically staring straight into the sun it took a few moments for their eyes to adjust. After a few moments they could finally assess the figure more clearly.

While he did wear a large black cloak, it was open in the front revealing a black dress shirt and pants under an indigo suit vest to match the mans eyes. He held a cross bow in a lax manner in his right hand that now hung down by his knee.

Eve readied herself to tackle him to the ground, but was stopped when Gido placed his arm in front of her.

"Who are you?"

The man just chuckled in response and used his free hand to nonchalantly brush his blond, wavy bangs to the side.

"The last person you will lay your eyes on before you die; so be grateful to be graced with such a presence as I! My name is Sa-" But before he could finish a swift punch was delivered to the side of his face knocking him over and causing the cross bow to fly out of his hand and promptly land in the arms of a young woman who had delivered the attack; also in a black hooded cloak.

"Sam you bastard! Using my treasured weapon without my knowledge!" the voice was sharp and dripping with contempt.

The man called "Sam" was still on the ground sheepishly rubbing the side of his face where she had punched him. Everyone else was just unsure of how to deal with the situation before them.

"Are they on the same side?" Eve whispered.

"It's kind of hard to tell at this point…" Cruz answered back. And before anyone else could add anything in the girl began speaking again, the group was being completely ignored at the moment.

"And what's with that introduction? You make me sick."

With that said Sam stood up and brushed himself off.

"I became impatient; that girl's whining was too obnoxious. Such a horrid sound should not belong to a girl with such a body." he finished simply glancing in Eve's direction.

Eve puffed up her cheeks in anger and prepared to charge again when the other girl pointed the cross bow at her, being stopped in her tracks once again. But the other girl didn't seem threatened at all as she began speaking to Sam once again while still staring at the group.

"We weren't supposed to interfere yet. How will you explain this later?" she said blandly.

Right as Sam was about to reply Blade suddenly appeared right behind him and held him in a choke hold.

"Sorry for interrupting, but we have a few questions we want to ask you guys."

The girl looked taken aback by his speed and glared at him. Sam tried to let out a deep breath but ended up coughing instead.

"My my, how troublesome. Seems I underestimated the situation again." he said in a raspy voice since he was still being restrained by Blade.

In the blink of an eye he pulled something out from under his vest. It all happened so fast and by the time everyone had a chance to catch up Sam was free and Blade had a deep gash on the arm that had been holding onto Sam.

Cruz glared suspiciously at the man who was now balancing the bloody tip of the knife on his index finger in a carefree manner. Blade used his other hand to try and stop the immense bleeding from the fresh wound, but to no avail. Gido and Eve quickly ran over towards him in order to assist him. The other girl lowered her cross bow and hid it away beneath the cloak, briefly revealing a black armored shirt and tight beige pants tucked into calf-high boots. The light color of the pants really made the two gun holsters stand out; one resting on each side of her hips.

Seeing her attire, a thought flitted across Cruz's mind, but he brushed it aside and the rest of his thoughts were interrupted by the man's voice as he spoke again.

"Awe looks like I pierced an artery. Only beautiful women are allowed to touch this body." he finished as he pointed to himself with his other hand.

Gido quickly took off his lab coat to wrap around Blade's arm, it helped, but it was quickly soaked with Blade's crimson blood. He furrowed his eyebrows in concern, it would need real stitches, but it was something Gido would have liked to perform in a sterilized place and preferably away from the enemy in a less vulnerable position.

In fury Eve used her fragment to transform her arm into a drill as she finally charged at the two. Just as she was about to land a critical blow on the girl another figure appeared between them and took the blow instead. It was another man whose face was concealed under a large black hood, but Eve soon realized that what she had pierced was not a real body as it suddenly began to disintegrate.

Everyone was just as shocked as she was. Once it had completely disappeared another of the same male figure reappeared, now standing off to the side.

The team saw the girl let out a frustrated sigh at the sight of the newcomer while Sam seemed to obediently put his knife away.

"Looks like he sent his 'dog' to fetch us. Always ruining all the fun, aren't you, Jackal?" Sam sneered at the cloaked male figure.

"Let's go." was the only reply that resonated from under the hood.

Surprisingly both Sam and the girl compliantly headed over to him. But before they disappeared Cruz yelled over to them;

"Wait! We aren't done with you yet!"

Sam seemed to ignore him while the girl looked back at him with an expression full of condescension.

"See you soon." was all she said before they completely faded away.

No one spoke for a while. Cruz clenched his fists in frustration, it was no question that they had something to do with all this. But with them gone so suddenly all they could do was continue towards Epimetheus as planned; even if it was the original plan, it seemed a bit dissatisfying after having such an abrupt encounter.

He turned to see if Blade needed any more help with his wound. To Cruz's relief he saw that they had finally closed the wound, even if the job had not been perfectly executed, it was enough to stop the bleeding.

"You alright?" he asked.

But before Blade could sarcastically reply a fair voice rang through the clearing. It was almost like music to Cruz's ears and he didn't want to believe it.

"I did not think that the 'Great Adam Blade' could be injured so easily. You've lost your touch."

They all turned toward the direction from where they had heard the voice. Seeing the proud silhouette of a young women with long green hair Gido and Eve smiled with excitement while Blade smirked back mischievously; Cruz's mouth was still hanging open.

"Sister…"

**Thanks for reading! Don't know how well this one really turned out tho. I'll try to improve with the upcoming chapters! Like i said earlier, this one was quite a struggle, i have many characters I wanna introduce, but I don't wanna do it all at the same time, so this is my best attempt to do so gradually. Thanks for your patience! Until next time! Comments/Reviews are always appreciated :) **


	5. Oneesan

**I was excited to re-introduce Aruka in this chapter, so i tried to update a bit faster :) Sorry for any silly mistakes in the following chapter! Thanks for reading!**

"Sister…"

"Close your mouth, Cruz, it's unsightly." she replied scoldingly.

Instantly he snapped his mouth shut and blushed in embarrassment. His beloved sister didn't look like she had aged a day; but once she began walking over towards him he could tell that one thing was different for sure as he could see his own reflection in her eyes. Cruz was just as tall as her now. Realizing this he felt a hint of pride which prompted his to stand up straighter.

Aruka noticed this and smiled warmly at him.

"You've grown." she embraced him firmly. "In more ways than one, dear brother." she added whispering into his ear.

Hearing this Cruz's arms surrounding his sister's figure became rigid with shock. He pulled back panic stricken, but her face only consisted of a steady gaze full of understanding. This calmed his nerves as he dropped his arms back down to his side. It was a look that reassured him that she wouldn't say anything just yet, but he knew that he would not be able to avoid the subject as easily as he had with Gido and Blade. How much she actually knew was uncertain, but he would probably find that out later, so he decided to push these frantic thoughts to the back of his mind.

Their moment was over quickly though as the others rushed over to them.

Questions like "How ya been?!" and "It's been a while, you been staying outta trouble?" filled the air. It was hard to believe that only moments ago they had been facing a possible life or death threat. It was clearly the effect of Blade and Eve's presence; and while it seemed a bit out of place it put Cruz at ease; reminding him that he could still enjoy everyone's company.

Once all friendly prattle had been concluded Aruka's face became serious again.

"So who were your new 'friends' a few moments ago?"

Eve scoffed. "Not a clue, but I wish I could've torn 'em to pieces!"

Blade grinned, clearly in agreement with Eve's desire.

"Yea, that bastard was a real piece of work." he finished as he held up his injured arm as proof.

Gido and Cruz nodded solemnly. Aruka crossed her arms over her chest, deep in thought. When she suddenly opened her eyes again they were full of disbelief as she mumbled under her breath.

"_It couldn't be…" _

"What is it, Sister?" Cruz asked curiously. The others leaned in with anticipation.

Aruka looked back at them and then focused her gaze on Cruz before speaking again.

"Cruz, did anything about that girl look familiar to you?"

Cruz was surprised by her question. It seemed so random to bring her up. But he thought back and pictured the girl in his mind as he pressed his knuckles to his mouth in thought.

"Now that you mention it, her attire did remind me of something, but why would it? Her face doesn't seem familiar at all."

Aruka sighed and nodded with a knowing look in her eyes laced with regret.

"I killed a lot of people back in the Resistance, Cruz. Even my best friend."

"You had a best friend?!" Cruz asked skeptically.

"Che." Aruka playfully flicked him on the forehead.

"He was the closest thing I had to a best friend; and he had a sister that was a couple years younger, her name was Reika. The reason you might've only recognized her clothes is because you were too small to see her face, so you really only got a good look at what she wore."

She paused to shift the weight on her feet before continuing.

"I was so focused on my mission for Simeon that I killed without feeling; I truly believed that what I was doing was for the better. What were a few lives if the ultimate goal was to achieve a Utopia for those of us who had been labeled as outcasts."

The air had become heavy at the mention of the mass genocide she had committed many years ago. Her betrayal was a heavy burden no one could imagine. But suddenly Aruka's expression was filled with the determination.

"But that is my past, I won't let it weigh me down. The next time we cross paths I'm sure it will not be without bloodshed and I don't plan on losing. If she wants revenge she'll have to kill me for it."

Blade lit a cigarette and puffed out a heavy cloud of smoke and hummed with satisfaction.

"Now that's a fighting spirit. Glad you're on our side this time." he grinned. The rest of them smiled and nodded in agreement. It was definitely good to have her back.

"So my understanding is that you're on your way to the Epimetheus' base… what's left of it anyways." Aruka said with confidence as she uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips.

Gido nodded. "Their research has something to do with the occurring incidents. It's the best lead we got."

"Well I myself am interested as well." Aruka added; doing her best to make it sound like it was a coincidence.

"Yeah! no more standing around. I bet we'll run into those jerks again and I can't wait to run 'em through!" Eve cheered.

Gido chuckled and quickly retrieved the horses and handed off two of the reigns to Blade and Cruz. After they had all mounted Aruka walked over to the horse Cruz sat on and looked up at him.

"Mind if I ride with you, Cruz?" Aruka asked teasingly.

Cruz smiled back warmly at his sister and extended his hand down to her. Swiftly she grabbed on and, with little effort, was swung around and hoisted onto the large saddle behind Cruz. With a quick kick they were off. Aruka encircled her arms around Cruz's waist with a content expression across her face. Even from the back it was obvious that he had changed. No longer skimpy, she could feel through his long jacket that his body was toned and cold to the touch, but his heart was still the same as ever. He was still her dear little brother.

"It's good to be back."

**Yay finished another chapter! This one was WAY easier to write than the last. sorry for any misspellings or grammatical errors that slipped through. Reviews are always appreciated! They really encourage me to continue :) Until next time!**


	6. 0233

**Thanks again for reading and being patient with this fanfiction :) It gives me something to do and the reviews always lift my spirits if I'm feeling unconfident about the chapters. Hope you like it!**

When the three cloaked figures returned, Jackal immediately left their sides and walked over to stand beside another figure sitting with his legs crossed in a regal fashion on top of what used to be one of the many support beams of Epimetheus. The sound of their shallow breathing caused his fine ears to twitch ever so slightly. Slowly he looked up at them as if he was coming back from a trance.

Seeing them he stood and in a single bound was only inches away from their faces, practically sharing their breath.

While he was only 177 cm (about 5'10") his slender frame made him seem otherwise. The black pants and charcoal, long-sleeved turtleneck he wore elongated his limbs creating the illusion of a taller appearance. And wrapped around his neck was a long grey scarf that hung all the way down to his knees.

He stared back at them intently through his teal colored eyes before focusing his attention on Sam. He leaned in even closer causing his black hair to brush against Sam's forehead; the ominous aura surrounding the two was like watching a predator taunting its prey before tearing it to pieces.

Even if Sam was plenty menacing enough on his own, he was nothing compared to the monster that stood before him.

Sam still seemed completely unaffected as he watched the younger man's nails slowly extend and morph into claw-like shapes.

Without warning he delivered a powerful slap to the side of Sam's face forcing him to stagger back a couple of steps. When he regained his stance he glared back at the black haired man who's expression was full of detestation.

"I won't be as lenient next time. If it happens again I won't hesitate to mar up that face you're so proud of."

Sam halfheartedly nodded back. "_self-righteous bastard…" _he said under his breath.

The other man narrowed his eyes into an icy stare. "You're replaceable you know." He almost sung in a chilling voice as he used one of his claws to trace an invisible line across Sam's neck as a final warning.

Sam knew he was serious and reluctantly nodded again. Satisfied with this response the male figure quickly spun around on his heels to walk away, but before he vanished behind one of the few charred walls still standing he paused and gave one final glance back at Sam and Reika. He cleared his throat signaling for everyone to pay attention.

As he did so one more small cloaked figure emerged from behind some large broken pieces of glass to join the others.

"They'll be here soon; so behave yourselves." and with that said he disappeared behind one of the thin walls with only the tallest of the four others following him on his heels.

Once they were gone Sam let out a huge sigh and cocked his head to the side to crack his neck as Reika huffed and sat down on what used to be a lab chair.

"Damn, he's way too full of himself." Sam hummed as he began throwing knives at a target he had drawn with dark ashes on the remains of a chalkboard; originally used for equations and such.

Reika scoffed. "Look who's talking!"

Sam shrugged, he was used to her offensive attitude. "So where have you been, Mira?" he asked in between throws.

The young girl slipped off the large hood and allowed her long brown hair to hang freely and rest on her small shoulders, but she refused to meet his eyes. Sam sighed.

"No matter how hard you look, you won't find her here you know. He sure has taken large measures to keep you under his control; blackmailing at its finest. It just proves how disadvantageous emotions and relationships really are." he cooed in an almost mocking manner.

Mira scowled back at him. She wished she had never been cursed with such a fragment. Maybe if she was normal she and her twin would be living peacefully, free from danger hundreds of miles away. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by Jackal's figure re-emerging from behind the wall.

"All of you, clear out. They'll be here soon."

… … … … … ...

Upon arriving at the ruins of Epimetheus they could already tell from a distance that the chances of finding much was very slim. The remains of the buildings were brittle and charred while dust and dirt had begun to collect in places. From what they could see, Epimetheus used to consist of only three large buildings. One of them looked like it used to be at least twenty floors while the other two didn't seemed to exceed three. Of course though, not many of these floors remained.

They dismounted their horses and walked closer to look at what used to be an old sign that had the last few letters of "Epimetheus" mounted on it with only four letters remaining. "What a dump!" Blade finally said, breaking the silence. The rest of them nodded in agreement.

"Let's split up and see what we can find." Cruz replied as he scanned the remnants of the buildings. As he began to walk forward Gido quickly placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Are you sure splitting up is the best idea?" he asked with a stern expression. Cruz nodded as he pushed Gido's hand away. "We'll cover more ground this way." he said briskly.

Gido sighed and reluctantly let Cruz continue, but motioned for Blade and Eve to stick together. They looked back at him with confused expressions but he simply smiled and waved them on while following close behind.

Soon the metal clang of filing cabinets being opened and the crashing of objects filled the air. No one knew for sure what exactly they were looking for, but they just assumed that they would know once they saw it. Seeing that Gido, Eve and Blade had already chosen to explore the tallest of the three buildings, Cruz figured that there was no need to follow them, so he headed over towards the third and farthest one he had picked out at random.

For the most part, since this building was so close to the ground, its walls were still intact, except for the fact that they were completely black. Although they crumbled easily Cruz soon experienced first hand as he leaned against one and it immediately cracked open and toppled over; nearly crushing him in the process.

When the dust had cleared Cruz was surprised to see that the fallen wall had given way to a completely separate room that seemed to still be in mint condition. But as soon as he stepped into it he felt a chill quickly race up his spine. The room itself was nothing grand; on one side were rows of glass cabinets filled with unknown chemicals, while sitting in the center of the room was a large metallic table. Off to the far side of the room was a dark cage with rusted bars and a cracked lock.

Cruz's breathing became shallow as he slowly walked closer towards the cage and knelt down to inspect the broken lock. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand suddenly tapped him on the shoulder; but it was only Aruka. He smiled up at her as he tried to catch his breath again.

"What's with this room?" she asked as she scanned it with distaste.

Cruz shrugged as he stood back up. "Beats me. Looks like it was used only yesterday though."

"Or someone wants us to believe that…" Aruka said suspiciously.

She then left his side to inspect the equations on the chalkboard on one of the walls. Cruz joined her and called over to Gido. He figured if anyone knew about this stuff it would be him. Gido and the rest of the group ran over and were just as surprised as Cruz and Aruka had been at the room. Gido quickly spotted the board and stood next to Cruz and Aruka trying to decipher all the chemical equations covering it.

"Well it looks like someone was making adjustments to the steroid-virus. It looks like they're coming close too. They've stabilized it, but it's not complete yet due to this blank over here." he finished as he pointed to an area on the chalkboard that had permanent chalk stains. It looked like someone had continuously erased numerous formulas again and again without any success. Cruz held his left arm closer to his body. Blade eyed him curiously, but said nothing. Cruz didn't realize that Aruka had also seen his reaction, but she too kept her mouth tightly shut.

The silence in the air was heavy. Everyone was too focused on the board, except Eve who was busy poking around at other objects in the room.

"What do you suppose was held in here?" she asked as she swung the cage door open. The cage itself took up an entire corner of the room and extended all the way to the ceiling but was only 5 by 5 feet.

"That used to be my home many years ago." a serene voice answered back.

Everyone whipped around to see a figure leaning against the door frame. Dressed all in dark clothes and wearing a grey scarf he seemed too out of place.

"What do you mean?" Cruz asked cautiously as he reached for one of his weapons concealed under his jacket. The figure simply smiled back at him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Cruz Schild."

"How do you know his name?" Aruka asked as she stepped slightly in front of him in a protective manner. The man chuckled. "I know all of your names, Aruka Schild."

As soon as he said her name Reika appeared behind him and threw off her large black cloak and glared back at Aruka. "Reika." Aruka breathed with disappointment. The man in black motioned for her to wait but Reika ignored him and lunged at Aruka with her cross bow pointing directly at her.

Before Aruka could react she was instead thrust to the side as Cruz pulled out a knife and threw it at Reika with immense precision and force. It ended up penetrating straight through Reika's armor and pierced her right below her collarbone before she could release one of her arrows. She stumbled to the ground and stared back at Cruz and Aruka with loathing as she grabbed onto the handle of the knife and pulled it from her new wound.

"Damn." was all Blade could say.

The man smirked at Cruz. "That was nicely done. But as for you-" he motioned at Reika kneeling on the floor. "I believe I told you to wait." He said with a hint of triumph in his voice. "Jackal get her out of here." he finished with annoyance. A tall cloaked figure stepped forward from behind him and goaded her out of the room with ease. But before they had a chance to exit Cruz had pulled out another weapon and had it pointed at them; this time it was a gun.

"No one moves until we know what's going on." he said staring straight into the man's teal eyes. Neither of them wavered, one because of amusement while the other out of determination. No one answered and in response Cruz shot at the taller figure's hood causing it to fall, revealing a man with silver hair and garnet colored eyes.

"Che. Impatient brat." was all Reika said. The man leaning against the door frame finally sighed and walked over to Cruz until the barrel of the gun only inches away from his chest.

"We met a year ago, Cruz; but I doubt you remember, I made sure of that. My given number was '0233' … but I go by 'Kuro' now."

**Thanks for reading! and sorry for any errors that appeared. Hope this one was to your liking at least a little bit; Reviews are always appreciated! :)**

**Additional note: the number "233" is actually the number of chapters contained in the manga that got me started! Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles! a fun little shout out :D**


	7. Suspicion

**Thanks for waiting! I got into a deviantart website and have been focusing more on drawing than writing :P but when I randomly checked back on my stories I saw more followers 'n such and it put me back in the mood to add on more! **

**A big 'Thank you!' to everyone who has continued to be patient with my stories! Hope you like this chapter! :) **

**& Please don't be shy; I always keep a lookout for new Reviews! **

… … …

Cruz's grip on the gun tightened, while his eyes widened in disbelief.

"You were an experiment for Epimetheus?" he said in barely a whisper.

The man nodded as he slowly placed a hand on the barrel of the gun that was only inches from his heart. But before he could do so Cruz's senses snapped back to reality as he smacked his hand away and instead pointed the gun at the his neck instead. Seeing this the silver-haired man prepared himself to come to Kuro's defense but was stopped when he held out his arm, signaling for him to halt.

Kuro looked at Blade and the others behind Cruz and smirked. Completely ignoring the gun at his throat he swiftly moved closer to Cruz until his lips practically rested on Cruz's ear. His warm breath sent another shiver down Cruz's spine.

"_You haven't told them yet have you…" _Kuro murmured. There was no questioning in his tone, and his confidence caused a sly grin to play out on his mouth; Cruz could hear it in his voice.

It felt like hours had passed for Cruz, while in actuality Kuro had gotten too close to him for Aruka's liking and she had reacted only seconds later. She charged forward and let loose a fast punch, which Kuro easily dodged, but all the same, it forced him to back away from Cruz which was her main objective.

Blade eyed the man suspiciously, whatever he had said to Cruz had clearly shaken him up. Cruz looked like he was stuck in a trance-like state and his grip on the gun was quivering.

Aruka placed her hands softly on the sides of Cruz's face. "What did he say to you?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. But he only turned his head away causing her to release her gentle grip.

"…Nothing important." Cruz replied dismissively, Aruka didn't look convinced.

"I thought no one survived Epimetheus' tests!" Gido finally shouted over towards the raven-haired man.

Kuro didn't respond right away, he looked lost in thought before he turned to glare back at Gido.

"What do you know…" he hissed back. Gido flinched back.

Blade rubbed the back of his neck before he stepped forward. "I'll cut straight to the chase; are you the ones responsible for the incidents that have been occurring for the past several years?"

Kuro posture changed again when Blade spoke; almost like he was interested again.

"And if we were?" another voice interjected. Appearing from where they had originally entered now stood Sam, without his cloak in full glory as he used one of his hands to briskly brush a few of his bangs to the side of his face. He sneered mockingly over at Blade.

"Then we have the right to pummel you guys into the ground, no questions asked." Blade spoke in a deathly low tone as he cracked his knuckles in a threatening manner.

Sam look unaffected while he nonchalantly placed a cigarette in his mouth and pulled out a lighter from a pocket hidden within his suit vest.

Kuro sighed. "There is no need to kill any of you… today. There are still variables I would like to confirm, and that will only happen whilst you're still alive." He seemed to be speaking more directly at Cruz.

"So we'll take our leave for now" he continued "… but to get the ball rolling…" he finished with a devious grin painted across his face showing off his unusually sharp teeth. He slowly allowed for the nails on his fingers to elongate into claws. Only Eve seemed to take notice of his narrowing pupils; which were beginning to look eerily feline.

The raven lunged at Cruz and before anyone could intervene, five long gashes appeared carved into the side of Cruz's left arm.

Cruz staggered backwards doing his best to keep the remnants of his sleeve pieced together on his arm.

With Aruka's hands glowing red with heat she launched herself at Kuro but Jackal matched her speed and thrust his way before her and took the blow instead. She was alarmed when his body suddenly began crumbling like ash, it was doppelgänger of himself. Aruka cursed under her breath for missing her intended target. The ability to create numerous doppelgängers of oneself was a unique fragment indeed, he must've been the other cloaked figure who had intervened when Eve had charged at Sam.

They were all so focused on the dissolving figure that by the time they looked back towards the doorway, Kuro and all the others had vanished.

"Damn it!" Blade yelled.

Cruz quickly tried to angle his body so no one could see much of the slashes that ran down the side of his arm. Kuro had aimed for his left arm on purpose, with the sleeve of his jacket nearly shredded to pieces the only thing concealing his arm was his own blood. He was bleeding pretty badly, but raven-haired man had been careful not to slice any major arteries.

The fact that Kuro had been able to manipulate him so easily enraged Cruz which caused him to tighten his grip around his wound, but he winced at the new pain he had unintentionally caused himself and more of his blood trickled to the ground.

"Cruz are you alright?!" Gido rushed over to him, knowing full well what Cruz was probably most worried about was not the injury itself.

"Yes, I'm alright." he tried to say as reassuringly as possible. Cruz quickly tore the right sleeve of his jacket clean off and used it to briskly wrap it around his left arm. Seeing that it was able to just barely cover up most of his arm he breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Aruka's hands no longer glowed red as she turned and walked over to him.

"Are you sure you're ok, Cruz?"

Cruz winced, it was obvious by her tone that she knew something was up, but after such an encounter it wasn't much of a surprise. Aruka gently placed a hand on his left arm. He became rigid, but did not pull away.

He smiled warmly back at her and nodded. "Don't worry, sister. I'm fine, really… but we should get going. If we want answers those guys are our best bet."

Aruka nodded. The three others came closer to collaborate their next move.

"Well, first things first; Cruz should probably get treated, those gashes look nasty, and food! I'm hungry!" Blade bellowed.

Everyone else had to agree with him on both accounts. Luckily it had only just passed the middle of the afternoon, which gave them plenty of time to ride over to the next town, which was only about a couple hours away.

Gido went to go grab the horses from where they had left them at the entrance, surprisingly they were still there. As soon as he brought them back everyone quickly mounted with Blade and Eve sharing again.

Unable to fully use his left arm Cruz stood with his right side closest to the horse facing its tail. Using only his right arm on the reigns and placing his right foot in the carefully angled stirrup he swung himself over the horse in one fluid motion.

Once he was sitting comfortable he extended his right arm down to Aruka again. He was taken aback when she narrowed her eyes back at him. Ignoring his arm she reached up and hoisted herself up onto the saddle behind him.

"Are you sure you would be the one in the front, Yamada?" Eve shouted over towards them.

The rest of them looked at him expectantly, but he only smiled back.

"I'm alright; this is nothing! Let's go!"

And with that he gave the horse a kick with the other two following close behind.

With Cruz in the lead and no one to look back at his expression he allowed for the smile plastered across his face to fade away. He could feel the arms wrapped around his torso were rigid and he silently let out a mental sigh.

Avoiding the topic of his past five years was going to prove even more difficult than before… and that's just how Kuro wanted it.

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated; critiques too! Well until next time then! :)**


	8. Uninvited baggage

**Became quickly inspired for this one, so I was able to write it pretty quickly! Hope you guys like it and hope it meets your standards! I'm still learning so I apologize for any silly errors and obscurities that might've slipped by me :P Enjoy :)**

The next town over was luckily close by. When they arrived the streets looked almost deserted; aside from the few inhabitants wandering from door to door asking for handouts.

As they approached a small man ran over to them and held up his hands asking for money. Gido gave him a sympathetic look and handed the man a small fist-full of coins.

"Can you tell us where to find a doctor?" Gido asked gently.

The man nodded and pointed over towards a small two story building amongst the various run down shops before scurrying away. Gido led the way on his horse and was first to dismount and poke his head inside the door; the others close behind.

"Hello?" he yelled into a seemingly empty waiting room. He was about to try again when the sound of rolling wheels filled the silence. From behind the desk a man with a white lab coat rolled into view and came to an abrupt halt to rest his elbow on the desk.

Aruka and Eve looked at the man skeptically as they all shuffled inside. Aside from the lab coat, thin glasses and stethoscope hanging around his neck, he didn't look professional at all. His brown hair was pulled back into a small ponytail that rested on one of his shoulders, and the shirt he wore under the lab coat looked like a casual t-shirt. Glancing at the floor they could see sneakers peaking out from under his black pants. At most he looked twenty-eight.

"What can I do for you guys?" the man asked cheerfully. Clearly not giving them a real look, because if he had, he wouldn't have had to ask.

Aruka stomped over towards him pulling Cruz along by the collar of his jacket.

"Please take care of his wound." she said, nearly throwing Cruz at him. The man leaned forward to get a closer look and nodded. "No problem; anything for a pretty lady!"

Aruka rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest while Cruz sighed. It really felt like old times. Blade suddenly pushed forward to get a good look at the man.

"She's outta your league!"

The man looked a bit more alert with Blade standing before him, but he soon shrugged it off and laid back in his chair and rested his feet on top of the desk in a leisurely manner.

"Oh ho! Is she your girlfriend?" he asked jokingly. Before Blade could give one of his smart-ass replies Eve punched Blade in the face, forcing him to fall over. "Both of you shut up! Yamada needs help!"

Everyone looked genuinely surprised by Eve's outburst, but Aruka and Gido eventually both grinned. Cruz smiled back shyly. "Really guys, I'm fine. Just point me in the direction towards some bandages and I'll take care of it myself."

His reply caused the doctor to raise his eyebrows with interest and he slowly lowered his legs off the desk as he stood up. "No need for any of that. Come right this way." Cruz nodded. The doctor seemed to catch his wary look and kindly asked for everyone to stay put in the waiting room. With much reluctance they allowed for him to head to the back with the doctor alone.

… … …

Back in one of the rooms the doctor asked Cruz to take a seat on the patient table as he went to go grab a few things. When he returned he asked Cruz to hold out his arm. Seeing the sleeve wrapped around his left arm he looked at it distastefully. It was wrapped rather tightly, so he instead took a sharp pair of scissor and slowly began cutting away at the fabric.

But when the sleeve was fully removed he narrowed his eyes and leaned in closer to Cruz's arm. Indeed there were still remnants of the long gashes, but the wound looked like it was already half-way healed. And to top it off the veins beneath looked almost black in color. Quickly he grabbed Cruz's other arm and inspected it, but it looked normal; veins 'n all. He was just about to say something, but Cruz spoke first.

"Thank you; for asking them to wait outside."

The doctor looked back up at him quizzically. Cruz's expression looked surprisingly regretful. He said and leaned back in his chair.

"Would you care to explain what's happening to that arm of yours?"

Cruz looked back at him warily. Seeing this the doctor quickly held up his arms defensively.

"I won't tell a soul; but you are my patient now, so I need to know."

Cruz sighed. "I guess you could say that I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Have you heard about the incidents that have been occurring the past five years?"

The doctor's expression became grim. "Of course I have."

"Well… you see… every place that has been 'coincidentally' burned to the ground was to cover up the fact that they were being used as a testing ground. Someone is going around and injecting people with a steroid virus. But no one survives, as a result everything is burnt to erase any evidence of its existence. No one would think to investigate any further cause of death if a fire has already taken place."

The man nodded slowly, clearly deep in thought. "It's inside you too then isn't it?"

Cruz flinched at his words and instinctively pulled his left arm closer towards his body. The doctor sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, if you're so worried about those guys seeing it- " he stood and walked over to one of the cabinets over the small sink and pulled out a roll of gauze and tossed it to Cruz. "then use this to hide it for now."

Cruz smiled gratefully back at the man and began wrapping his left arm, being careful not to leave any gaps. The man watched him intently as Cruz continued to wrap the gauze around his arm until it reached his elbow.

"So what's your name, son?"

With a final tug Cruz tucked the remaining gauze away and threw a few air punches to double check if it was secure before answering.

"It's Cruz Schild."

"Ahh I'll do my best to remember that." the man breathed as he smiled warmly back at Cruz.

"What's yours?" Cruz asked back.

"Yuuta Kimura." he replied.

Cruz almost chuckled, it seemed so appropriate.

"Alright, well if there's nothing else, you can return to your friends."

He nodded and began to reach for the handle of the door when Yuuta suddenly placed a firm hand on Cruz's shoulder. "Why are you trying to handle this all by yourself, kid? That's quite load your'e carrying. And by what you've told me… you shouldn't even be alive right now…"

Cruz shrugged off Yuuta's hand. "It's my business." he said solemnly before exiting out the door, leaving the doctor to his thoughts.

When Cruz reappeared through the side door leading to the waiting room everyone abruptly stopped whatever they had been doing and ran over to him.

"So what did he say?" Eve asked first.

The others leaned in with just as much anticipation, but before Cruz could answer the side door slammed open.

"You guys think you could spare another traveling buddy?! I'm told I make good company!"

"EH?" was all they could say at first.

The man adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose waiting for their reply.

"No way in hell." Blade said flatly. Yuuta made a pouting face before returning to his stubborn stance and looked more directly at Cruz in a hopeful manner.

"I'm sorry sir, but we don't need extra baggage where we're going." Aruka stepped in cooly.

The man's eyes glinted as he smiled lightheartedly. "Well that's awfully sweet of you to say; but no need to worry about me! I can defend myself just fine."

Aruka gave him an annoyed sideways glance.

"Let him do what he wants." Everyone turned to look at Cruz in shock. The doctor heard him too and smiled, knowing that the only reason Cruz had said what he did was because he was afraid that he would threaten to tell the others his secret.

'_Isn't it a pity we live in such skeptical times.'_ he thought to himself.

Before anyone else could object Gido sighed and nodded knowingly. "He can ride with me. So let's get some food so we can hit the road and get out of this ghost town."

Blade and Eve looked pleadingly over at Gido like children begging their parent not to make them go to the dentist.

Aruka huffed out a frustrated breath and resigned herself to the idea. "If he gets killed it's not my fault." She swiftly spun on her heels and out the door, with Blade and Eve following close behind; leaving Cruz, Gido and Yuuta the only ones standing in the waiting room.

Yuuta looked over at Gido's skeptical expression and smiled. "He knows too doesn't he, Cruz."

Gido looked surprised for a second, but then nodded again.

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed." Yuuta winked before heading out towards the door.

Gido glanced over at Cruz who just shrugged. "It couldn't be helped."

**Thanks for reading! BTW I luv the Dreamworks movie ****Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas**** ! And the thought that Yuuta expresses in italics is a reference to that movie :D also the name "Yuuta" means: leisurely, gentleness and bravery ;) Please Review! **


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